Wednesday, June 24, 2026

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College Football

SEC College Football Playoff picture for 2026: Best bets, serious contenders and dark horse

The SEC's College Football Playoff picture for 2026 looks different than it has in years past, with a nine-game conference schedule creating more landmines than ever before. Chris Low breaks down the field into three tiers.

Low's serious contenders include some of the SEC's most recognizable programs, such as Texas A&M, Alabama, and LSU, each with a legitimate path to the playoff (and a specific reason to worry). His best bets, though, are a shorter list of teams he thinks are as close to locks as you'll find in a conference this loaded.

He's also got a dark horse pick, a team nobody is talking about that Low thinks could work its way into the playoff conversation by November.

Which programs make Low's best bets list, and how does he see the serious contenders navigating one of the toughest conference schedules in recent memory? Low has the full breakdown below.

READ MORE FROM CHRIS LOW →

College Football

Big Ten College Football Playoff picture for 2026: Best bets, serious contenders and dark horse

Julian Sayin, Bryce Underwood, Dakorien Moore

Ari Wasserman is taking a look at the Big Ten's 2026 College Football Playoff picture, breaking down which programs are legitimate contenders, which are serious threats, and which one could sneak up on everybody.
Wasserman's dark horse pick is Iowa, a team he says didn't get enough credit last season after nearly knocking off the national champion. The Hawkeyes set a school record with seven players drafted, so the question is whether Kirk Ferentz can reload fast enough to stay in the playoff conversation.
Which programs land on Wasserman's best bets and serious contenders lists? The answers might surprise you.

BREAKDOWN FROM ARI WASSERMAN →

College Basketball

Get ready for more NBA and NFL teams to start looking for their version of Dusty May

Dusty May is heading to the Dallas Mavericks, and Andy Staples argues this move could look very different than the last time a college coach tried to jump to the NBA.
The NIL era has fundamentally changed what it takes to succeed in college coaching, and that skill set may translate to the pros better than anyone previously expected.
Staples names the coaches whose fanbases should be paying close attention, and some of the names might surprise you.

COLUMN FROM ANDY STAPLES →

College Football

The NFL just did the NCAA a huge favor in helping it enforce critical gambling rules

The NFL declined to hold a supplemental draft this summer, effectively shutting Brendan Sorsby out of football until at least 2027. Ari Wasserman breaks down what the league's decision means for Sorsby and why it did college football a significant favor.

College Baseball

Oklahoma wins College World Series with Game 3 victory over North Carolina

For the first time in over three decades, the Oklahoma Sooners are on top of the college baseball world. Monday brought another national championship to Norman, with the Sooners taking down North Carolina in game three of the CWS.